Draft:Islam in Yunnan

Yunnanese Muslim

Total population
about 2%
Regions with significant populations
Kunming, Shadian, Dali, Baoshan
Religions
Sunni Islam
Languages
Common languages Mandarin Yunnanese Mandarin Liturgical language Arabic
Related ethnic groups
Hui people, Utsul people, Dai, Bai, Yi, Tibetan Muslims

Islam is a minority religion in the Chinese province of Yunnan. The total number of Muslims is approximately 700,000 to 1.09 million Muslims, Yunnan is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in China, constituting roughly 1.5-2.3% of the province's total population.The Muslim community in Yunnan is predominantly Hui, but also includes minorities of the Dai, Bai, Tibetans, and Yi.

History

Yuan dynasty

Main article: Islam in Yuan dynasty

The large-scale settlement of Muslims in Yunnan began during the late Southern Song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty. In 1219, Genghis Khan launched his western campaigns, and by 1258 Hulagu Khan had captured Baghdad. Many Central Asians, Persians, and Arabs were incorporated into the Mongol military structure. Among them were Muslim soldiers and craftsmen, who became part of the famous tammači (探马赤军, "scout troops").

In 1253, Mongke Khan ordered his brother Kublai Khan to lead an army into the southwest. After the conquest of the Dali Kingdom, many Muslim soldiers and their families settled in Yunnan, marking the beginning of large-scale Muslim presence in the region. The Yuan government later established the Yunnan Branch Secretariat (雲南行中書省). In 1274, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, a Muslim from Bukhara, was appointed governor of Yunnan.

Ming and Qing dynasties

Main articles: Islam in Ming and Qing dynasty

The Hui population in Yunnan grew through migration and conversion during the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. By the early Qing, Yunnan was home to nearly 800,000 Hui, the second largest Hui community in China after the northwest. Zheng He, a Hui Muslim born in Jinning near Dianchi Lake, became a celebrated admiral and explorer during the Ming dynasty.

Panthay Rebellion (1856–1873)

The most significant Muslim uprising in Yunnan history was the Panthay Rebellion (1856–1873), led by Du Wenxiu. Du Wenxiu established the Pingnan Guo sultanate with its capital at Dali in western Yunnan. The rebellion arose from ethnic tensions and discrimination against Muslims under Qing rule; it ended in 1873 after major bloodshed and destruction.

Post CCP-period

Cultural Revolution and Shadian Incident

During the Cultural Revolution, Muslims faced persecution. The Shadian incident of 1975 saw the killing of about 1,600 Hui Muslims by the People's Liberation Army in Shadian town, Gejiu, after local Muslims protested mosque closures.

Reform and Religious Revival

After the Cultural Revolution, religious life revived. The Yunnan branch of the Islamic Association of China was founded in 1984, headquartered at Shunchen Mosque, Kunming. Many mosques, such as the Grand Mosque of Shadian, were rebuilt.

Recent policies and Sinicization

In the 2020s, China promoted the Sinicization of religion. In 2023, Arabic-style domes and minarets at mosques like the Grand Mosque of Shadian were replaced with Chinese-style pagoda roofs.

Demographics

Yunnan’s Muslims number around 1.09 million and are served by over 867 mosques. Major concentrations are found in Kunming, Yuxi, Honghe, Wenshan, Dali, Baoshan, Zhaotong, Chuxiong, Puer, and Qujing.

Ethnic Muslim communities

While the Hui people are the dominant Muslim group, smaller communities include:

• Tibetan Muslims: Small groups in northwestern Yunnan, locally classified as Hui in census categories.
• Dai Muslims:.These specific Dai are often called "Paxi Dai(帕西傣)" or "Dai Hui(戴回族)" inhabitant of Xishuangbanna.
• Yi Muslims: Scattered families who adopted Islam through intermarriage with Hui.
• Bai Muslims: Historically present in Dali, often assimilated into the Hui classification.
• Zhuang Muslims:
• Wa Hui

Denominations

The practice of Islam in Yunnan follows the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, which is predominant among Hui Muslims in China. Historically, the community has been characterized by the development of different religious orientations, often described as "sects":

> Gedimu (Old Sect) — the oldest, traditional form of Islam, with mosques using Chinese and Arabic in teaching.

> Yihewani (New Teaching): Reformist and purist, influenced by modernist Islamic movements, introducing new curricula and Han Kitab scholarship.

> Xidaotang (Newest Teaching): A syncretic group drawing on Sufi and Confucian elements and stressing ethical teachings.

Institutions

Mosques

The following table lists some of the most notable mosques in Yunnan:

Mosque Name	Location	Notable Features
Nancheng Mosque	Kunming	One of the oldest, first built during the Tang Dynasty.
Shuncheng Street Mosque	Kunming	Built in 1425 (Ming Dynasty); office of the Yunnan Islamic Association.
Shadian Great Mosque	Gejiu City	The largest mosque in Southwest China, capable of holding 10,000 worshippers.
Najiaying Mosque	Tonghai County	An ancient mosque originally built in 1370.
Tuogu Mosque	Ludian County	Built during the Yongzheng period (1722-1735) of the Qing Dynasty; a provincially protected cultural site.

Education

Islamic education is organized through mosque-based schools and Islamic associations. Institutions such as the Kunming Islamic College (founded in the 1987) provide imam training.

Scholarship and Education

Yunnan is noted for its bilingual mosque education traditions (Arabic and Chinese). Leading scholars include:

• Ma Dexin (1794–1874), who traveled to Mecca and wrote extensively in Arabic and Chinese.
• Ma Lianyuan (1841–1903), who translated Chinese Islamic works for Arabic audiences.
• Ma Anli, author of Islamic Book of Odes (Tianfang Shijing).

Architecture

Yunnan’s mosques historically blended Chinese and Middle Eastern architectural forms. Since 2018, campaigns to “sinicize” mosques have removed domes and minarets, replacing them with traditional Chinese-style roofs and pavilions.

Contemporary issues

Yunnan’s Muslim communities maintain halal businesses, Islamic festivals, and cross-border ties with Southeast Asia. However, state regulation of Islamic practice has increased, with controls on Arabic signage, mosque design, and youth religious education.

Notable figures

• Sayyid Ajall Shams al-Din Omar — first Muslim governor.
• Zheng He — famed admiral.
• Du Wenxiu — Panthay Rebellion leader.
• Ma Dexin — scholar.

See also

• Islam in China
• Panthay Rebellion
• Hui people
• Shadian incident

Further reading

• Contento., Paul A. (1940-07-01). "ISLAM IN YUNNAN TODAY". The Muslim World. 30 (3): 292–294. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.1940.tb00455.x. ISSN 0027-4909.
• Saguchi, T. (24 April 2012). "Yunnan". In Bearman, P. J. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition Online. Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_1368. ISSN 1573-3912. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
• CHANG-KUAN, LIN (1991). Chinese Muslims of Yunnan, Southwest China, with Special Reference to Their Revolt 1855–1873.
• Benite, Zvi Ben-Dor (2005). The Dao of Muhammad: A Cultural History of Muslims in Late Imperial China. Harvard University Asia Center. doi:10.1163/9781684174126. ISBN 978-1-68417-412-6.
• Petersen, Kristian (2018). Interpreting Islam in China: Pilgrimage, Scripture, and Language in the Han Kitab. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-063434-6.
• Wang, Xian Aubin (2026-12-31). Islam and Maoism in Southern Yunnan: State Violence and Resistance, 1949–2024. Cornell University Press. doi:10.1515/9781501787218. ISBN 978-1-5017-8721-8. OCLC 1591619079. OL 62085830M.
• Lipman, Jonathan N. (2014). Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China. Studies on Ethnic Groups in China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-97644-0.
• Atwill, David G. (2006). The Chinese Sultanate: Islam, Ethnicity, and the Panthay Rebellion in Southwest China, 1856–1873 (Orig. print. 2005 ed.). Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-5159-9.
• Gladney, Dru C. (1996). Muslim Chinese: Ethnic Nationalism in the People's Republic. Harvard East Asian Monographs. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center. ISBN 978-0-674-59497-5.
• Wang, Xian (January 2023). "Justice for Whom? Redressing the "1975 Shadian Incident" in the Post-Mao Era, 1978–2019". Modern China. 49 (1): 93–132. doi:10.1177/00977004221121073. ISSN 0097-7004.
• Hawkins, Amy. "Last major Arabic-style mosque in China loses its domes." The Guardian, 25 May 2024.
• Wang, Jianping (1992-07-01). "Islam in Yunnan". Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. 13 (2): 364–374. doi:10.1080/02666959208716255.
• Berlie, Jean (2000), "Cross-Border Links between Muslims in Yunnan and Northern Thailand: Identity and Economic Networks", Where China Meets Southeast Asia: Social and Cultural Change in the Border Regions, Social Issues in Southeast Asia, ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, pp. 222–235, ISBN 978-981-230-712-5, retrieved 2025-09-23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
• "Shadian's Muslim communities and trans-local connectivities: observations from the field". IIAS. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
• Ma, Haiyun; Chang, I.-wei Jennifer (2023-09-06). "The Last Minarets of Yunnan". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
• Scheen, Lena (Autumn 2016). "Islam in China" (PDF). The Newsletter (75). Leiden: International Institute for Asian Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-07-31. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
• Chee-Beng, Tan (1991). "A Note on the Orang Yunnan in Terengganu". Archipel. 42 (1): 93–120. doi:10.3406/arch.1991.2750.
• Ma, Zhihong (2020). "Succession in the Yunnan School (Yunnan xuepai) of Islamic Thought". Islam and Chinese Society (1st ed.). pp. 20–31. doi:10.4324/9780367817213-2. ISBN 978-0-367-81721-3.
• Brose, Michael C. (2015-01-01), "Yunnan's Muslim Heritage", China's Encounters on the South and Southwest, Brill, pp. 135–155, ISBN 978-90-04-28248-3, retrieved 2025-09-23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
• Lin, Chang-Kuan (1990-01-01). "Three Eminent Chinese 'Ulama' of Yunnan". Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. doi:10.1080/02666959008716154.
• Atwill, David G. (1997-04-01). "Islam in the World of Yunnan: Muslim Yunnanese Identity in Nineteenth Century Yunnan". Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. 17 (1): 9–30. doi:10.1080/13602009708716355. ISSN 1360-2004.
• Berlie, J. A. (2010). "A Comparative Study of Buddhism and Islam in Yunnan Province". The Muslim World. 100 (2–3): 337–348. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2010.01316.x. ISSN 1478-1913.
• 昆明伊斯兰教史 [History of Islam in Kunming] (in Chinese). 云南大学出版社 [Yunnan University Press]. 2005. ISBN 978-7-81112-010-3.
• Atwill, David G. (2005). The Chinese Sultanate: Islam, Ethnicity, and the Panthay Rebellion in Southwest China, 1856–1873. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-1-5036-2521-1.
• Atwill, David G. (2024-12-10). The Panthay Rebellion: Islam, Ethnicity and the Dali Sultanate in Southwest China, 1856–1873. Verso Books. ISBN 978-1-83674-108-4.

External links

• https://baike.baidu.com/item/白回/8126861

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

H
• Islam in Yunnan
• History of Islam in China